The Witcher: Lord of the Empire

Mousesack smiled. "With all the things that have happened to you, I have two pieces of news for you as well."

Lann raised his eyebrows. "Let me guess: one is good news, and the other is also good news?"

Mousesack nodded with a smile. "First news: Do you remember Marshal Vissegerd? During the war, he went north to recruit troops on the orders of Queen Calanthe and missed the battle. Somewhere unknown, he has been actively fighting against Nilfgaard, collecting refugees, and even establishing a base in Brugge."

Lann's eyes lit up. "He contacted us now?"

"That's right. Vissegerd and I have known each other for decades, and his loyalty to Calanthe and Cintra is unshakable. Some time ago, he brought a dozen people to Brokilon Town, and we talked for a long time. I brought his letter, and we think you should review our ideas."

Mousesack pulled out a letter and Lann read it quickly.

It was filled with Vissegerd's words. He already knew from Mousesack that he was now the leader of Cintra and Ciri's guardian, so the letter addressed him in a more formal tone, which was surprising given that Vissegerd used to be a mentor to Lann.

In the letter, Vissegerd detailed the current situation in Nilfgaard and Cintra, and gave an account of the refugees and available forces. As for tactics, he hoped that Lann would allow him to use the name of Cintra to continue the resistance in Brugge and Brokilon, biding his time.

Lann recalled that in The Witcher Series, Vissegerd was the last loyal defender of Cintra.

"Please convey my gratitude to Marshal Vissegerd. I am very pleased to have his assistance, this alleviates an immediate concern." Lann said solemnly. "When I return, I will meet him and take him to see Ciri so that she will accept his loyalty."

Mousesack nodded with satisfaction. The revival of Cintra delighted him greatly.

"The second news is that recently, I returned to the Druid Circle in Skellige to move my laboratory. I then visited the Clans an Craite and Tuirseach."

Lann became emotional again at the news.

"Both clans are willing to fully support Cintra against Nilfgaard, and King Bran is trying to convince the other five clans. Even if King Bran is not successful, the Clans an Craite and Tuirseach represent more than half of Skellige's strength, and these forces are clearly at Cintra's disposal."

Before Lann could rejoice, the druid changed his tone: "After that, I went to see Eist."

Mousesack sighed.

"The queen died in front of him, and I knew she was pregnant at the time, it was a double tragedy. Eist buried her on his lands, and when I saw him, he was visibly aged. Hearing that the other five clans of Skellige did not want to resist Nilfgaard, he made a surprising decision."

The druid's tone was complicated. "He wanted to become the king of Skellige again, and to gather all the power of Skellige in the name of 'revenge for the queen', so as to help Cintra to the greatest extent."

Lann was stunned by this news.

Lann knew that the political environment of the Skellige Islands was different from that of the mainland.

"Will this process... be easy?" Lann asked doubtfully.

Mousesack shook his head. "King Bran has no objections and supports his brother completely. However, the political environment of Skellige is very special: its king is elected by a vote of the seven main clans."

"So it's not enough for King Bran to agree. The other clans must also give their approval. Although Eist had enough prestige in the past, this time it has faced quite a bit of opposition."

"I'm worried about him, so I arranged a meeting between Ciri and him, which improved his situation a bit. When you finish the meeting of the northern kingdoms at Hagge Castle, you should also go to Skellige and talk to him."

Mousesack said seriously: "As an advisor to Cintra, I hope he can once again take the throne of Skellige. But as a friend, I am more concerned about his current state. He is exhausted, sad, and filled with anger. I fear he will hurt himself before he kills his enemies."

Lann nodded solemnly, with worry in his eyes.

...

After his brief conversation with Lann, Mousesack returned to Cintra. His visit had two purposes: one was to see Lann, and the other was to report the latest developments to him as his advisor. With those goals accomplished, he had no reason to stay.

Cintra needed someone with enough prestige to stay there, and with Mousesack guarding the rear, Lann could travel abroad without worry.

Triss stayed to give Lann magical guidance.

Although Lann seemed to be adept at handling Signs, even achieving hypnosis with the Axii Sign, something few witchers could do, it was all thanks to the system that assisted him. Without the system, his handling of magic remained very rudimentary.

Triss enjoyed teaching someone with such a poor foundation.

"Mousesack and Jerome have already planned a magic course for you. Mr. Keldar's knowledge also amazed me. He has almost memorized an entire library. Now they just hope you have time to learn."

Triss covered her mouth and chuckled. "That may take several years to complete. But considering that you are so busy now, we can only use fragmented time to tutor you little by little."

Lann raised his eyebrows. "So you are here to give me the first lesson?"

Triss raised her chin slightly. "Yes!"

The first thing Triss taught Lann was [Meditation]. This is the meditation method that Jerome eventually improved based on the Witcher's meditation method, combining the suggestions of Mousesack and Triss.

Meditation focused on communicating with magical energy, allowing time to pass quickly while magical energy was replenished. Witcher meditation also maintained a keen awareness of the surroundings, allowing witchers to quickly engage in combat in the face of any threat.

The process went smoothly. Elder Blood's keen perception of chaotic energy and Lann's own qualities allowed him to quickly master it.

So, this private magic tutoring soon entered the second stage: the teaching of the [Artefact compression].

Artefact Compression is a powerful spell used by some mages. The spell encases the victim in a jade shell and shrinks it so small that it could fit in the palm of their hand. This allows the caster to take the victim prisoner without worrying about an escape attempt, as well as concealing the prisoner. The target remains in stasis and unaware of their surroundings.

Lann asked hesitantly, "It's just... Is this magic easy to learn? We may only have a few weeks or even a few days."

Triss thought for a while and said: "It depends on the base. A normal sorcerer might take years; a powerful sorcerer might learn it quickly."

Lann pointed at himself and said in confusion: "Although I am confident that I will be powerful one day, I don't think I am a 'powerful sorcerer' now."

Triss covered her mouth and smiled. "Don't worry, if that creature appears and you haven't learned the spell yet, I'll be here."

Lann raised an eyebrow. He understood that Triss's true purpose was not just to teach him magic.

With that thought, Lann wanted to say something else, but he saw that Triss had already settled herself lazily on the sofa. Her fiery red hair spread out, tempting him.

Lan looked out the window and realized that it was already late. A huge bonfire was lit outside the temple island, and the sound of prayers could be heard from afar.

The dancing light of the flames occasionally shone through the window, contrasting with Triss's long hair.

Lann couldn't help but sigh in his heart: Sorceress...

"For today, we're done with the magic. I've been running around and haven't gotten a good rest."

"Lann, can you help me take out the skirt in my luggage? This travel outfit is really uncomfortable to wear."

Will Lann refuse this kind of help to the sorceress who has worked hard to teach him all day?

That would be too rude.

Lann raised his eyebrows. "Of course."

"Thank you... Can you help me unbutton my back? I can't reach it."

"But you are wearing a jacket now, Triss."

"It's a special jacket, it has buttons in the back. You didn't know that? Do you want to see?"

Lann walked over to begin unbuttoning her jacket.

"Where is the button you mentioned? I've been looking for it for so long but still can't find it."

"Maybe I remembered it wrong. The button is actually in the front."

"Heh... Okay, I'll look for it again."

...

Learning magic is a long and arduous process. In a formal magic academy, it takes years, even decades, to train a competent sorcerer.

Lann wanted to skip the basics and learn an advanced spell, which required even greater and more dedicated effort.

The soldiers of Cintra noticed that their lord had not left his room for three days, although strange chants and exclamations could be heard from within.

They admired their earl's dedication and were grateful that the sorceress was there to help him and ease his worries.

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